Ventura County officials stress dangers of anhydrous ammonia

A tattered U.S. flag flies on Main Street in West, Texas on Thursday April 18, 2013 after the fertilizer plant explosion. Mangled metal and crushed vehicles are all that remains at the blast site of the fertilizer company, Thursday, April 18, 2013 in West Texas. A massive explosion at the West Fertilizer Co. killed as many as 15 people and injured more than 160, officials said overnight. The explosion that struck around 8 p.m. Wednesday, sent flames shooting into the night sky and rained burning embers and debris down on shocked and frightened residents. (AP Photo/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Ron T. Ennis) MAGS OUT; (FORT WORTH WEEKLY, 360 WEST)

The plant that exploded this week in West, Texas, was storing a dangerous form of nitrogen-based fertilizer known as anhydrous ammonia.

Such compounds are widely used throughout Ventura County because of their effectiveness in getting large amounts of nitrogen into the soil, Ventura County Fire Department officials said, but they are not manufactured here. They also are used by suppliers to keep goods fresh until they are shipped, said Steve Bauer, a hazardous materials officer for the department.

"Anhydrous ammonia fertilizer is essentially dry ammonia gas compressed into liquid form" Baker said Thursday. "It is stored under high pressure in specially designed tanks. ... Nitrate is another component that will enhance the fire and make it more vigorous, but we don't have any facilities that are making ammonia nitrate."

If the temperature outside a tank of anhydrous ammonia increases or if there's a leak, the gas inside is more likely to escape and cause injury. Combined with body moisture, the pungent fumes can cause severe dehydration, chemical burns and lung irritation, Baker said.

In high concentrations it is highly flammable, but it is typically transported as a nonflammable material.

"That one has fooled responders before. It just has a very high threshold for burning," Baker said.

Will Berg, director of marketing for the Oxnard Harbor District's Port of Hueneme, said there are four or five tanks at the port that store liquid fertilizer. The material, however, is nonexplosive and nonflammable, Berg said.

Explosions and fires are among the most serious emergency response situations that firefighters encounter, county fire Capt. Anthony Romero said. If a chemical accident occurred here, emergency personnel would immediately try to determine the type of hazardous material involved through a database regulated by the Certified Unified Program Agency.

Romero said the county's hazardous materials team trains quarterly for such responses and has a plan in place.